CMB Artist Statement

Clarissa Martinez-Blat

Digital Imaging Spring 2015

Project 3

Adaptability

Adaptability can be seen in a positive and negative light. I chose to portray adaptability as conformation, which is the negative connotation. This issue hits very close to home as my family and friends are going through it in Venezuela. I, myself, have also been susceptible to conformation as well due to the circumstances that my country is in. Political corruption and economic instability are just two of the many reasons why we have had to adapt to a conforming lifestyle. There is nothing we can do about the situation we are living in so, instead of locking ourselves inside and not going out, we must conform to the dangers that surround us.

People buy cars with bulletproof windows, keep a gun in their car, and avoid going out late at night unless it is completely necessary. Unfortunately every day it gets worse and there is always a new story about how someone you know got robbed, kidnapped, or killed. Recently, there have been a group of people targeting children, killing them and selling their organs for money. It sounds like something from a horror movie but it is our reality.

 My poster targets the people of Venezuela, telling them to wake up from the haze they're in and to take a stand against the government and fight for a better life. I chose to use soldiers from the Venezuelan government to represent the oppression and the little girl as a representation that now it is affecting not only us but our children as well. The sign that the girl is holding says "Until when?" as in, until when will we have to live like this, because Venezuelans are alive but they are not living. The placement of the text is meant to stand out at you and draw the audience's eye across the whole poster so that they get the full effect of the text relating to the image. The text is in Spanish because it is directed to an audience that only speaks Spanish, also it is more effective in conveying the message. “Venezuela no te conformes. Despierta!” means, “Venezuela don’t conform. Wake up!”